Introduction of Chao Xiang
by J.Steele
Summary: Not really a Prequel to Chun-Li: Legendary but Lonely...but a little prequel to Chao's character. This is only two chapters long. Involves Gen in part 2!
1. Chapter 1

[ Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter or anything involving it at all.]  
[ This is something I wrote last year on LiveJournal, I decided It would be nice to share it with everyone! This is an introduction to Chao Xiang, Chun-Li's grandmother. I may expand it a bit more, but she knew Gen in his youth and so on. Possible hint of a pair? In their youth of course! Or I could push it and make em' old. ]

[Notes: In the first part, the italics are Chao's past thoughts of her son. Non-italics are her current words about Chun Li.]

_"From the moment you were born, I knew you were a special child."_  
"From the moment your daughter was born, I knew she was a special child."

_"Your passion for Justice was only succeeded by your passion of the martial arts and family."_  
"Chun-Li is indeed your daughter. No photograph can depict the sheer love for her family, justice, and the martial arts."

_"Your passion lead you down a road that was too big for even your grasp. You took a big risk...,and though I disagreed with your choice, you did it anyway."_  
"That girl of yours! So hard headed!"

_"When you passed away...I never thought I would fight again. I began drinking more, and Chun Li was training with Gen. I always wanted to be alone...the heartache was..."_  
_"_Now that she is a big girl, she seems to never have the time for dear old Grandmother. My how the tides have turned. Her heart still seeks revenge for your death...now that we know Bison has not perished."

_"...The heartache was too much to take. I found myself wondering in the past more-so than the futur_e. It felt as if all my stress and pain had built up on my heart, and was waiting to be released. This caged animal clogging my lungs and heart."  
"That girl of yours never did know how to deny me food. So polite, just like that wife of yours was. I always saw her as being a phony, but Chun Li is genuine about it. Such a nice girl."

"Now...this beast is prepared to emerge. It is ready to unleash itself upon those who have yet to meet justice. I may not be as young as I used to. I may not be able to stop an enemy such as Bison, and I may not be able to change the world. However, I can change my own neighborhood one fight at a time. I will do what it was you loved, what it is your daughter loves, what **I** loved...fight.."

**------------------------  
C**hao had sat high upon a hill top, beneath a large tree, hanging overhead with various pink petals fluttering down from it in the night's gust. The moon had shined down upon her elderly frame as she sat patiently, both legs crossed over one another, arms extended outwards, digits gracefully extended out. Catlike-old eyes would of slowly opened up as she gazed forth...

A hand lowered down to her cane. Long green robes about her frame slowly fluttered as she pushed herself up to a stand. Before herself, she could see the image of a young Chun Li, and her own son hand in hand, beckoning her to come on back home.

"...I will return home soon...but my day of reflection is not yet over." She said to herself, walking further along that hill with her cane. Turning herself toward the moon...Chao would pull up a small brown jug from her hip...holding it up high toward the moon.

"Through youth, old age, birth and even death...the fight never ends. It will go on for all of eternity, as long as there are those who have it's knowledge flowing through their veins."

Chao took a long drink of her wine in her jug, before lowering it.

"Gen...we never had our rematch..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Another day..."

The young man said as he slowly approached his home. Violet cloths about his form had been slightly stained with various flours from the debut night of his restaurant. It had been a long and tiring day...not to mention the acts against him prior to leaving his store. Petty assassins out for his young life already...enemies never slept. The young man, not much older than twenty two began to scale his stairs, reaching into his sleeve for his key.

As it entered the keyhole, he would twist it, and pause for a moment...right hand went along the lining of the door, where he had left a single piece of tape. It had been ripped in half...someone had opened the door. Narrowing his eyes...he would mentally prepare himself for combat. Slowly opening the door to the dark living room...

He would take a slow step inside..sensing out where the intruder was. "...Hm!" He darted forward in the darkness, sending a knife-like hand toward an object, but stopped just shy of where it had formerly been. It moved like the wind, quickly getting along side of him, and shoving him forward. He was getting slow from fatigue! The young man quickly turned, putting his defenses up.

"One wave wasn't enough, I see..." He lowered his head some, now stepping forward and sending a single snake-like fist forward, only to have it skillfully captured in the rather soft hand of his opposition. "Hm?!"

The lights were flicked on by a long finger. Her green kimono nearly hanging off of her, and a nice brown jug of wine in her clutches. One eye was closed, the other was opened up, and a smile was upon her face. "Hmm, Gen, you're tired huh? Can't back up your boasts from earlier? *Hic!*"

The drunken woman was shoved away as Gen would leap back several meters, landing solidly back into stance. "Chao, my words were only of playfulness. If I truly were to beat you in five breaths, it would mean I would be murdering you. Doing such to a friend is something I do not desire." He however held his stance firmly, in case she attacked "Besides, it seems you've had too much to drink--and why did you break into my home??"

Chao giggled, staggering about in a woozy, somewhat sleepy fashion. "Well you were talkin' trash, so I thought I better take you up on it. Besiiides, you're so old fashioned that the lock was easy to pick~ how could I resist?" The young woman hiccuped, picking up a single picture frame of Gen's.

"Hm. I've forgotten you're the same Chao who stole for a living." He closed his eyes, taking a breath--still not dropping his stance.

"--Borrowed! I was going to give it back if I didn't get my fill." She continued to examine the portrait of Gen and her own son. "He's gonna grow up to be a great fighter. It's in his bones--*HIC*, now, if you'd only fight me, maybe you'll actually be able to learn somethin' yourseeelf~"

She was a drunken master, he had to be ready for anything. Gen had sparred Chao in their younger days as children, they both showed much promise, but Gen was always the faster! His style of assassination was not exactly the best thing to spar against these days...but Chao could handle herself. "Hm. I will grant you a chance to challenge me, but I assure you, I will win."

Chao took a long swig of her wine, hiccuping again, stumbling around into that drunken stance. "I wouldn't be so sure, you've got a weak point I can expoose~" Chao teased, beckoning Gen in for the strike. Swiftly he had come in to strike her, but it was skillfully leaned away from, and his next incoming kick was ducked under. Chao took another swig of he drink, only to have it knocked out of her hand.

"_HEY_! That's _EXPENSIVE_!" She complained,twisting about, attempting to backfist Gen--but it was ducked. The man backtracked and Chao followed. Leaping up onto his kitchen table, Chao would throw a kick toward him, that only met with his own leg. Knocking a vase off of his table, as well as a bowl of rice Chao had helped herself to!

"You eat my food?!"

"I was gonna replace it!" She hiccuped, speaking in mid clash of fists with Gen. "You're so uptight..." Getting kicked in her abdominals, Chao would fall onto her back onto the wood flooring. "_WOOO~HOO~!_" She called out, slapping the floor and flipping over herself back to her feet. Gen had taken to the skies, coming down with a kick, that was slapped aside by Chao's skilled hands.

Rocking backwards, she would turn upside down, splitting her legs, and spinning like a top with the air of one hand! Gen was struck once across the face, only stumbling back to get out of the way of Chao's drunken attack. He took toward the wall, leaping up onto it, and sprung up into the rafters. "You truly are a mess. Perhaps if you were sober your techniques wouldn't be so useless. Really..., I'd expect that to only be done in a gentleman's club by one like you." He teased, as Chao got up to her feet.

"Useless? This comin' from a guy who pokes people to death?" She grinned,leaping against another wall, and sprung herself up into the rafters with him. "Whoa~" she stumbled a little bit, only to regain herself.

"Still afraid of heights, Chao?" He snickered, throwing up his stance once more. "Nope~! So come on...lets get back to me giving you a beat down!"

"Very well. If you're that impatient to be 'schooled', as you would say!"

-----------

**--- Present Day ---**  
_"Oh my, there I go again..."_ The old woman said, sitting within the grass of the seemingly endless plains, meditating. "_Hmhmhm. Perhaps you are not dead, Gen. My memories of you are so very fond. Just a little sip of this~ and a pinch of that..._" Chao picked up her brown jug once more, taking a long sip of it. "Aah...and the good times continue to roll!" She spoke entirely in Cantonese, giggling up a storm as she took the time to reflect on her past.


End file.
